CHAPTER 28: Help, My Childhood Friend Hates Me!
A flash of white light appeared, and Gotoh Hitori, who was hugging herself and trembling, looked up and found herself lying in bed—the familiar ceiling was right in front of her.
If she hadn't been able to confirm that she was in her own room, she probably would have suspected that she had been drugged and transported to some Southeast Asian region.
That's the whole story of how Gotoh Hitori came to this simulated world.
Future simulation, in other words, simulates a possible "future".
Miss Gotoh Hitori started using her still somewhat confused little brain, trying hard to recall everything about herself in this "future".
Her appearance remained unchanged. It seemed there was no trope of someone transforming into a stunningly beautiful Mary Sue princess after time travel, and for some reason, Miss Gotoh was somewhat disappointed.
Family composition makes no difference. She is particularly grateful for this, as being an only child and receiving all of her parents' attention, or having one or two more siblings, would have been a different story.
My hobbies and interests have remained consistent. And thankfully, my blog account called "Guitar Hero" is still active.
But for some reason, her video "A Shooting Star Crossing the Daylight" disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed.
"What, is this...?"
Gotoh slumped to the computer desk like a deflated balloon, her vacant eyes as serene and melancholic as a salted fish that had swallowed half a bottle of sleeping pills.
"Is it absolutely impossible for a guitar hero to be seen by everyone in this future...?!"
What a cruel simulation! This is clearly reality!
But in any case, Miss Gotoh was only depressed for a while, and then she sorted out her emotions and continued her simulated life—she convinced herself that her ability to adapt to failure and disappointment was actually ridiculously strong.
After living like this for dozens of days, she tried to attract the attention of other music lovers at school by carrying her guitar, but to no avail. However, while resting in a park on her way home, she was struck up by a smiling blonde girl.
And that's where it all started.
Invited by Ijichi Nijika, Gotoh Hitori timidly arrived at the livehouse venue under Ijichi Seika's name and met Yamada Ryo, who was a bassist. The three of them performed a concert without a lead singer. After that, they recruited the cheerful and lively Ikuyo Kita, and the four of them formed the "Kessoku Band".
Whether it was gaining friends or becoming a band member and performing, all of these were things that Gotoh Hitori had never achieved but had always dreamed of.
"It seems that participating in this future simulation isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Although she still shrinks into a cardboard box and avoids eye contact with the audience and band members when performing on stage, Ms. Bocchi is quite satisfied with the changes so far.
Until one day, she accidentally bumped into a curly-haired boy who was just coming out of the backstage area after a performance.
"Waaaaaah...!"
She staggered back several steps, but the unmoved boy only paused for a moment. When Gotoh instinctively looked up and met the boy's gaze—
Only then did she realize that his gaze was so serious it was almost frightening.
Startled by the aura, Gotoh Hitori stood frozen in place, oblivious to the boy's companion appearing beside him.
"What's wrong, Narumi-kun? Is it someone you know?"
Seeing that she remained silent, the boy's coldness and seriousness seemed to deepen even further.
No, I don't know him.
It wasn't until he turned and walked away that Gotoh Hitori, who had been standing there in a daze, gradually came to her senses.
"No, no, no... I've seen that person before, haven't I?"
If there's anything slightly different about this simulation compared to the original, it's probably the little boy next door that Gotoh suddenly remembered from a corner of her memory.
The talkative and lively boy of the opposite sex always nonchalantly broke down her social defenses and chatted happily with her about music topics that they both found interesting.
Although it was a very short time compared to a life of more than ten years, it left a deep impression on Gotoh—it was probably the first time in her life that she had spoken to someone outside her family.
In her memory, he was a very cheerful and gentle boy. No matter how confused she was, he would always encourage her with a smile and enthusiastically take her to explore the world together.
"No matter what, he's different from this grumpy guy in front of me, right?"
Miss Gotoh Hitori huddled in the corner seat, her trembling eyes fixed on the curly-haired boy sitting next to Saika Totsuka, who was eating with his head down and no expression on his face. If she had a cardboard box next to her right now, she would definitely stuff herself into it without hesitation.
"Does he still remember me? When we met backstage just now, he seemed so fierce, like he was treating me like a stranger... Could he have completely forgotten me? Well, it's been a long time since we last saw each other, and it's normal for someone like me to be forgotten. There's no need to feel disappointed #&%..."
Despite appearing calm (though not really), Bocchi's gaze kept darting left and right, trying her best to minimize her presence in the relaxed and pleasant party.
What she didn't know was that the boy she was trying so hard to guess was having some rather eccentric thoughts.
"In this world, Hayama and the others are playing in a band... Doesn't that mean we can dream of a 'future' where Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama debut as a high school idol group?"
This time, the system didn't respond to Narumi Toru's idea, which means even the system thought it was too absurd.
"Although there were still a few mistakes in today's performance, overall it was better than every previous one!"
Nijika, the younger sister of the owner of the restaurant, downed her drink in one gulp, and the energetic girl with long red hair next to her happily raised her glass to her.
"Yes, Ijichi-senpai! I have a feeling we can do even better next time, let's do our best together...!"
She was the only unfamiliar face Narumi had never seen before, so the curly-haired boy subtly observed her out of the corner of his eye while taking a sip of his beer—
Then it was noticed by Ijichi Seika, who was sitting next to her.
"Hey, you're still a minor, how come you're drinking?"
"Ah... actually, it's because I've been in the habit of drinking for a long time"—that was the answer Narumi originally wanted to give.
But as the words were about to come out, he felt uncomfortable for some reason and changed them into something else entirely.
"Leave me alone... meddling in other people's business will make you age prematurely."
"Talking like that will lower your affection level, you rude brat...!"
Even Narumi couldn't help but internally criticize himself in this way.
However, the synchronization rate will increase, so we have no choice but to bite the bullet and proceed.
As expected, Boss Ijichi's eyes were already filled with a murderous aura.
"I'm telling you, you bunch of bratty teenagers... talking like that is very offensive. If you can't say something nice, just shut up!"
Fortunately, Ms. Ijichi is a kind-hearted person and did not fly into a rage even after being offended like this. If it had been some unnamed Ms. Hiratsuka Shizuka, she probably would have already delivered a powerful blow.
Narumi decided to obediently do as he was told and stop courting death, but just as he tucked his tail between his legs and was about to lower his head and eat his meal properly—
He discovered that the soft-boiled egg and seaweed sheet on his Japanese teriyaki topping had vanished.
"?"
His gaze slowly moved upward, and he saw the short-haired girl with blue hair sitting opposite him gazing out the window with a calm and serene expression, her eyes seemingly lost in thought as if she were contemplating the philosophy of life.
If it weren't for the fact that her cheeks—stuffed like a hamster's stash—were bobbing up and down with her chewing, it would have been too conspicuous.
"May I ask you...?"
"Hey, those are my eggs, aren't they?"
Narumi spoke in a somewhat annoyed tone.
"Hmm?"
The blue-haired girl turned her head innocently to meet his gaze. From the front, her cheeks, stuffed with food, made her look even more like a hamster—don't try that, don't think you can get away with being cute.
"No proof, buddy. Why don't you call it and see if it responds?"
As expected…! This despicable girl is definitely the Yamada Ryo I know!
Narumi twitched the corner of his mouth, unsure whether encountering a familiar face in this simulation was something to be happy about or something to worry about.
Ryo Yamada, an eccentric girl who ended up playing bass in a band, is also a friend of Toru Narumi in real life.
But right now she seemed to treat him with the same indifference as the other members of the disbanded band. Could it be that this simulated Yamada didn't recognize him?
Narumi pondered and began trying to search his memory for anything related to Yamada Ryo, but to no avail—it seemed that today was the day he would meet Yamada for the first time in the simulation.
Despite her mouth being bulged out, Ms. Yamada continued to scoop up the uneaten food on the table (mainly the food in front of Bocchi-chan). After noticing Narumi's lingering gaze, she turned to look at him again.
She blinked, then seemed to understand something and suddenly realized—then blushed and turned her head away.
"While I can understand the possibility of someone falling in love with me at first sight, it can still be a little embarrassing to be stared at like that by someone I'm meeting for the first time..."
Your face is as red as a teapot!
Narumi, who had no intention of continuing to pay attention to her, turned his head and met the gaze of the pink-haired girl who was huddled in the corner and watching in their direction.
"ah."
The two met each other's eyes for the second time, but they were no longer as familiar and intimate as they had been years ago.
For a fleeting moment, Narumi displayed an expression as if he were looking at a stranger, causing Gotoh Hitori to feel an urge to dodge and retreat. Narumi also precisely caught her subtle movement of trying to look away, and for some reason, a strange sense of irritation rose within him.
Her cowardly demeanor and timid expression were a stark contrast to her extraordinary guitar skills, which belittled her fate.
What's most annoying is that we used to be good friends, so why is she staring at me with such a wary and suspicious look?
That's really quite unpleasant.
"Hey, you pink caterpillar over there."
The curly-haired boy's indifferent voice suddenly lowered the temperature of the atmosphere at the dining table.
"Has no one ever told you that staring at someone is rude?"
Compared to mature, steady, and caring older sisters, he prefers younger sisters.
The cute and energetic junior girl might mischievously tease you, but the consequences are actually harmless. She's always lively and positive, and just watching her from afar can brighten your mood.
There is also the quiet, reserved, and aloof younger woman who is considered mature and composed even among her peers. However, she always wants you—who is older than her—not to treat her like a child. As a result, she sometimes makes decisions that seem childish and impulsive to you. Afterwards, she is too shy to admit her impulsiveness.
Or perhaps it's the gentle and considerate girl next door, a very traditional yet classic heroine from romance comics. She doesn't have a strong personality, but she's like water, able to embrace and accept your flaws. The romantic experience might not be as stimulating as with the two types of younger women with strong personalities mentioned above, but living together would definitely be the most comfortable.
The above are the images of girls that Narumi Toru, who has never been in a relationship, has found in art-house films and television dramas—girls who would make his heart flutter.
But no matter how much he likes younger women, the strike zone absolutely does not include timid, cowardly, always hiding in a corner, not wanting to be noticed, yet yearning to connect with others—the kind of dark, brooding younger woman.
That's right, this specifically refers to Miss Gotoh Hitori.
"Hugs, hugs, I'm so sorry! I've been staring at you rudely ever since!"
After being exposed, the pink caterpillar, who now wanted nothing more than to evaporate, tried hard to control her urge to wriggle away and escape, and dared not look directly into the sharp eyes of the curly-haired boy.
"Why has Narumi-kun become so fierce... Give me back the Narumi-kun I remember, who was always a bit irrational but at least gentle and patient!"
Once childhood sweethearts who could talk about anything, their reunion was always accompanied by sharp conflicts. "I guess I shouldn't have pinned my hopes on interpersonal relationships," Bocchi thought to herself, feeling secretly disappointed.
"Could it be... because I secretly formed a band without his knowledge...? Ah, then it's understandable that he's angry with me... We clearly promised to form a band together..."
Bocchi, who was accustomed to thinking about everything in a depressed manner, lowered her head, her heart filled with guilt and self-blame for her former friend.
"As expected... I've messed up my relationships again without even realizing it. These are friends I finally made when I was little, and now I've made them angry... What am I even capable of doing well...?"
However, her fearful, dejected, and lonely appearance inexplicably intensified Narumi's irritability.
"What? It's like I'm bullying her... We could have just had a normal conversation and caught up, why is it like I'm the unreasonable one?"
"If apologies were enough, what would we need the police for?"
Then, when he came to his senses, he realized he had said something completely contrary to what he'd been thinking.
No, this version of me in the "future" is way too suited to be a bully, a petty thug.
"I'm so sorry, please don't call the police and arrest me...!"
Moreover, Bocchi-chan actually apologized again in a very serious manner, and even tried to take money out of her bag to calm things down while sweating profusely.
"As long as it makes you feel better... I'll give you whatever amount of money you want, please accept it!"
This kid is so easily fooled! Absolutely!
If it were the usual Narumi Toru, he would probably just find it amusing—but once the novelty wears off, he would no longer treat others so harshly.
Unfortunately, this means he can't synchronize with his future self.
END OF CHAPTER